Shriners will deliberate future of 22 U.S. hospitals

A spokeswoman for the Shriners said the organization would discuss the future of all 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children at an annual business meeting in July, but that media reports that four hospitals would close were incorrect. Shriners Hospitals for Children provide pediatric specialty care at no charge for services.

The board of trustees of the Tampa, Fla.-based organization has not voted yet on whether to close any hospitals, said Marlena Lagina-Kleine, vice president for communications and development. The Associated Press had reported plans to close four of the group’s eight research centers and to lay off about 40 people at its administrative office.

Meanwhile, the Shriners Hospital in Honolulu is undergoing a $73-million expansion, one of the largest in the Shriners organization. The project, to be completed by 2010, began in August 2007.

At the Imperial Session, the organization’s annual business meeting, in San Antonio in July, “We will talk about all 22 hospitals in the system and the fact that the endowment has been underperforming, like most health-care systems in the country,” Lagina-Kleine said.